The incident came to limelight when the Indian Ministry for External Affairs (MEA) termed it a “high priority” issue.
A Qatari court handed death sentence to eight Indian nationals who were detained in Doha for over a year. Expressing shock over the verdict, India, on Thursday (Oct 26), vowed to explore all legal options in the case to secure the release of its citizens.
Who were the eight Indian nationals?
Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh.
Where did the eight Indian work?
The eight Indian nationals worked at Qatar’s Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services. It is a private company that offers training and various other services to the defense and security agencies of Qatar.
“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra company,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” it added.
The MEA further said that the case was of extreme importance to them and that the government has been keeping a close eye on it.
“We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” the MEA release said.
Verdict in the case of 8 Indians detained in Qatar: We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options. We attach high importance to this… pic.twitter.com/l6yAg1GoJe
— ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2023
“Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” it added.
The eight Indian nationals have been in prison since August 2022 over an alleged case of espionage, as per news agency PTI reports. They were all employees of the private firm Al Dahra and had their first trial in late March.
the MEA shared the shocking information that the Qatar court has awarded death sentences to these eight decorated ex-Indian Navy officers. India has, however, vowed to explore all available legal options to secure the release of its citizens.
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March 2023:
The Indian nationals had their first trial in late March
June 2023:
The second trial was conducted in June 2023, Al Jazeera reports.
October 2023:
India’s ambassador to Qatar met the men in prison on October 1 after being granted consular access.
The eight Indian Navy personnel were on 26 October handed the death penalty in Qatar by a local court.
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